way too slow at drag strip! what should it run?

You're wasting your time trying to dial in a car that is not hooking; you'll be chasing your tail. Fix your traction issue and then start dialing it in by making small changes. Try to only change one thing at a time between runs so you can see if it improved or hurt your times.

You don't need traction bars, but get an adjustable pinion snubber. It's not like they cost that much; I see them advertised used all the time.